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Yesterday afternoon, Weiss & Hiller, PC filed a lawsuit against the Metropolitan Museum of Art, demanding an injunction and other relief. According to the Complaint, the Museum's lease with the City and an 1893 statute require the Museum, which receives millions of dollars in annual taxpayer-funded subsidies, to remain open and free to the general public five days and two evenings per week. But the Museum has been charging admission fees every day and evening. According to the Complaint, the Museum has been misleading the public into paying admission fees in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Museum was designed to be open to everyone, without regard to their financial circumstances -- a public library of art and culture to enrich the lives of the citizenry. But instead, the Museum has been converted into an elite tourist attraction.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has been sued for allegedly charging unlawful admission fees and committing consumer fraud, according to a 44-page complaint (Docket No. 158002/2012) filed with the New York State Supreme Court yesterday. The Complaint asks for an injunction, attorney's fees and other relief. The full complaint is available as an attachment to this release.